Cruise of the Lanikai: Incitement to WarIn early December 1941 in the Philippines, a young Navy ensign named Kemp Tolley was given his first ship command, an old 76-foot schooner that had once served as a movie prop in John Ford's "The Hurricane." Crewed mostly by Filipinos who did not speak English and armed with a cannon that had last seen service in the Spanish-American War, the Lanikai was under top-secret presidential orders to sail south into waters where the Japanese fleet was thought to be. Ostensibly the crew was to spy on Japanese naval movements, but to Tolley it was clear that their mission was to create an incident that would provoke war. Events overtook the plan, however, when Pearl Harbor was bombed before the Lanikaicould get underway. When Bataan and Corregidor fell, she was ordered to set sail for Australia and became one of the few U.S. naval vessels to escape the Philippines. In this book Tolley tells the saga of her great adventure during these grim, early days of the war and makes history come alive as he regales the reader with details of the operation and an explanation of President Roosevelt's order. Tolley's description of their escape in Japanese warship-infested waters ranks with the best of sea tales, and few will be able to forget the Lanikai's 4,000-mile, three-month odyssey. |
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... destroyers to Java.Left behind on Luzon were the submarines andatender, thepatrol planes, and most unfortunately, about 2,000 naval personnel. Healsoleft the 67ton auxiliary schooner Lanikai, whichsuddenly hadbecome the subjectof secret ...
... destroyers to Java.Left behind on Luzon were the submarines andatender, thepatrol planes, and most unfortunately, about 2,000 naval personnel. Healsoleft the 67ton auxiliary schooner Lanikai, whichsuddenly hadbecome the subjectof secret ...
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... Destroyer Division “P”(the twocripples that had been underrepairatCavite, Pillsbury and Peary), Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 and its six wicked, superfast little craft, and the miscellaneous collection ofodds and ends of the Inshore ...
... Destroyer Division “P”(the twocripples that had been underrepairatCavite, Pillsbury and Peary), Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 and its six wicked, superfast little craft, and the miscellaneous collection ofodds and ends of the Inshore ...
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... destroyers, and four fast minelayers, all to report to the CinC, Asiatic, if and when they arrived. Thenews was confirmed by a letterfrom Starkto Hart,12 November1940: “.. . One thing (and thisis for yourearsonly) you can depend uponis ...
... destroyers, and four fast minelayers, all to report to the CinC, Asiatic, if and when they arrived. Thenews was confirmed by a letterfrom Starkto Hart,12 November1940: “.. . One thing (and thisis for yourearsonly) you can depend uponis ...
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... destroyers thatcomprise the combat surface elements of your command.This is especially strikingwhen judged in comparisoneither withthe potential enemy naval forcesinthe WesternPacific orwith theAirForce of this Command which is rapidly ...
... destroyers thatcomprise the combat surface elements of your command.This is especially strikingwhen judged in comparisoneither withthe potential enemy naval forcesinthe WesternPacific orwith theAirForce of this Command which is rapidly ...
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... destroyers. Considering Hart had only just informally been made aware of his new brotherly status visavis the ... destroyers. Second party 10 transports, 2 cruisers, 10 destroyers.” This was11:00 A.M. Manila time. WhenTom Phillipsgotthe ...
... destroyers. Considering Hart had only just informally been made aware of his new brotherly status visavis the ... destroyers. Second party 10 transports, 2 cruisers, 10 destroyers.” This was11:00 A.M. Manila time. WhenTom Phillipsgotthe ...
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aboard Adair Admiral Hart aircraft Allied alongside American anchor andthe Army arrived ashore Asiatic Fleet attack atthe Australia Bali Bandoeng boat bombers bombs British bythe Captain Cavite coast Corregidor crew crewmen cruisers December deck deckhouse defense destroyers Dutch East enemy engine Filipino fish forces Fremantle fromthe Geraldton Glassford gunboat guns hadbeen Hart’s headed heavy Helfrich Houston inthe Island itwas Japan Japanese Java Kimmel Lanikai later LCDR Lieutenant Commander Luzon MacArthur Manila Mariveles miles Naval Operations Navy’s night Oahu officer ofthe onthe Pacific patrol Pearl Harbor Pecos Philippines planes President President’s radio Rear Admiral Rockwell Roosevelt sail ship ship’s Singapore skipper soon Stark submarine Surabaya thatthe theJapanese Therewas Tjilatjap tobe Tolley torpedo tothe U.S. Naval U.S. Navy United USS Lanikai vessel Walruff warship wasa Washington wasnot witha withthe wouldbe wrote Yangtze Yangtze Patrol Yard